Mitsubishi News

Japanese car manufacturer Mitsubishi has announced it plans on investing £100m into a wind turbine plant based in the North East of England.

Mitsubishi has a keen interest in renewable energy as its iMiEV vehicle has shown, the development will also bring hundreds of jobs to the area.

Chief Executive Akio Fukui said that the company was looking at a number of sites in the region was reckoning on a timescale of around three years for the prototype. before mass production a year later.

The scheme which will be the first in the world to produce wind turbines of this size on a commercial scale was described by Tom Delay, CEO of the government backed Carbon Trust as:

a massive vote of confidence in the UK’s renewable sector. We are clearly now open for business and, importantly, we are now winning business. The green manufacturing revolution is now becoming a reality."

Environmentalists have said that the Mitsubishi announcement is especially notable as they are currently one of the biggest atomic engineering companies in the world, a spokesperson for Greenpeace said:

"If the market wanted a clear signal on which way the UK energy sector is moving, the manufacturer of the world’s biggest nuclear reactors has just sent it – and the answer is wind."

With the recent announcement in the US regarding the latest electric vehicle the Chevrolet Volt and the UK Government confirming it would stand by the grant for electric vehicle buyers, what is the best Electric Vehicle (EV) for your money?

The Volt which still hasn’t been confirmed for a UK launch is at a premium compared to the Nissan Leaf (£23,000) but is comparable with Mitsubishis offering the iMiEV. Although no pricing has been confirmed for the iMiEV as of yet it is more expensive than the Leaf in Europe and Japan.

The big factor that owners will take into account when deciding what EV to buy is the range, the best by far is the Volt which includes a small gas engine allowing the battery to be charged whilst going, giving it a range of 547km which is more akin to a standard car. This blows away the nearest competition the Leaf which only has a range of 160km and makes the iMiEV’s offering 129km comparable to those electric jeeps you see in Toys R Us.

Another issue maybe speed but this is unlikely to deter any EV purchasers except for maybe Tesla fans. In this category the Volt again comes out on top with speeds of 161km/h (100mph) but this time it is a lot closer with the Leaf and iMiEV coming in at  145km/h (90mph) and 130km/h (81mph) respectively. This is still above any legal speed limit on British roads.

Thirdly something people don’t really seem to think about is charging time again the Volt is top of this one but not in a good way, to fully charge Chevy’s offering will take around 10 hours compared to Nissan and Mitsubishis eight and six hour charging time.

So overall if you want something to try and take the place of your petrol car, if it gets released in Britain the Chevrolet Volt is your best choice or you could pay the $41,000 and try and get hold of a really big plug convertor. Otherwise if you want a city/town run around then the Nissan Leaf or Mitsubishi iMiEV could be for you. They are perfect as city cars which is what the first batch of electric vehicles have been designed for.

When searching on the internet for anything Mitsubishi related all you seem to find is information on the new iMiEV electric car, It’s almost as if they have given up on petrol vehicles in a bid to corner the electric car market.

A closer look on the official website though finds that all is well and they are alive and kicking in the traditional combustion engine trade, even offering second hand models of their vehicles from the front page of the website something that you need to really look for with other brands.

The website is set out fairly well, getting onto the finance page is a bit tricky as it seems you have to click on an advert for finance which is on a loop. So you need to catch it quickly or you may end up booking a test drive for the new Colt.

The options available on finance are pretty limited. You have a choice of a big deposit of half followed by paying the rest in 2 years time on 0% APR or a £1000 deposit and monthly payments of around £140 at an interest rate of 4.9%. Total price comes to £8,554 and £9,350 respectively for a top spec 2010 Colt.

Mitsubishi do also offer a leasing deal on contract with prices ranging from £200-500 per month depending on model chosen but you will be better of checking a lease finder such as Leasbam who will search local dealers o find the best price for you, without you having to leave you computer screen.

Overall the Mitsubishi site does feel very dated, with its block lay out and text it is crying out for an upgrade which after looking at the MiEV website is true across the board.

If you are interested in driving a Mitsubishi then have a look over at Leasbam who will search all the best deals for you.

It has been alleged that a factory producing the Mitsubishi 380 was paying over 20 Chinese workers as little as £1 an hour.

The factory based in Adelaide was ran by the China-Sanan engineering company who appeared in court last week charged with underpaying workers by up to £175,000.

Mitsubishi closed the plant after sales of the 380, a large sedan declined to due what is thought the rising price of oil.

Fair Work Ombudsman Executive-Director Michael Campbell has released details that the workers were brought in under the pretence of dismantling a press that was no longer needed by Mitsubishi. It has also been revealed the visas the workers were brought in on were originally three months maximum with work not allowed.

The Ombudsman reinforced the seriousness of the issue saying:

“Strong and persistent messages need to be sent to employers that both deter this type of behaviour and reinforce the fact that exploitative practices will not be tolerated.”

The issues not the first of its kind within the car industry but third parties have been outrages that foreign companies have not had to obey to the countries workplace and employment laws.

Mitsubishi vehicles are available for hire through Leasebam, get a quote quickly and the best price.

Japanese based manufacturers Mitsubishi have announced a  price for their forthcoming electric car the i-MiEV

Previously in this blog we looked at the specs of the car which included:

• A range of 80 miles on one charge (seven hour recharge time)
• Exempt from Road Tax
• 12,000 miles of driving will cost around £100 in Fuel
• Free parking in London

When asked about the impact he thought the vehicle would have on the motor industry, Lance Bradley, Managing Director of Mitsubishi UK said:

“These are exciting times for the motor industry in the UK. This is the biggest change in the automotive industry since it began some one hundred years ago, so to be able to offer our zero emissions car for this price is a truly great achievement.”

The price Mitsubishi are asking for the i-MiEV?

Well for a first batch order, of which you will take delivery of in January 2011. Minus the £5,000 credit you will receive from the UK Government for buying an electric car.

You’re looking at a total of £33,699 including VAT.

The car which has a top speed of 81mph was trialled in the West Midlands late last year and has been met with overwhelming acclaim, car expert Quentin Wilson said:

“The Mitsubishi i-MiEV is a forerunner of a transport revolution that eventually will change the world. At last here’s an electric car that doesn’t look like a church pew, seats four, does 80 mph and costs less than a quid to charge. What is there not to love?"

According to the Herald Sun in Australia the first plug in production cars will be arriving in Australia soon, manufactured by Mitsubishi. The iMiEV will be available on lease only and even though it is big news in Australia only 40 of them are arriving there. This costs are not cheap either at over $1700 Au dollars a month for 3 years, there is a huge range of executive cars you could lease cheaper, not to mention not having the hassle to charge up each night. Of course the real benefit is they are emission free, but who will be the lucky 40 individuals who will drive and get the publicity.

With a $33000 price tag, they are not cheap but like all electrical goods, there is an expectation that the price with freefall over the next 3 years. Nissan are currently manufacturing their electrical cars At Nissan in Sunderland UK.

If you fancy a Mitsubishi Leasing deal here in the UK, there is an online system ready for you.

Mitsubishi are one of the most renowned manufactures of 4×4’s. They have a good reputation for producing quality, affordable cars. The difference between most Mitsubishi 4×4’s and other top 4×4 brands, is that the Mitsubishi’s are one of the few car makes designed to actually go off-road. A lot of the popular 4×4’s today are designed mainly for tarmac, which just shows how the market has changed. The Mitsubishi engines also have a great reputation for being reliable. Models like the ‘Shogun’ have an MPG of about 30-35 and this doesn’t really drop even when using the towbar for caravans and such.

With the huge success of the first the peugeot 206cc, many other manufacturers have jumped on the band wagon to make minin sized hard top convertibles and the Mitsubishi Colt CZC hard top cabriolet is another one to compare. To be honest the price prompt is aimed more at the Micra CC than the Peugeot with prices starting at around £11k rather than the £13k of the peugeot.

Of course the benefits if these models is that you can have the roof down in summer, but be protected in the winter months with a hard top and not just a piece of cloth. the video of the Mitsubishi Colt CZC cabriolet below is not really a review but someone enjoying driving the car around some country area, with a bit a music thrown in.

the place for Mitsubishi Colt CZC Lease

or you can choose Mitsubishi Colt CZC Contract Hire

It start off by saying that the best selling car in the world is a pick up, as we know this is a ford and not the Mitsubishi L200 reviewed here, but it proves the point that pick up trucks do have their value and maybe other countries such as America are better at figuring this out.

We still see several Mitsubishi L200’s around every town and city in UK, compared with the average car, the driver sits in the clouds looking down on the rest of the world and as well as the warm interios to drive, its practibility is there for all to see with plenty of carrying space and off road capabilities.

We are seeing moer and moe of these vehicles being leased to busines owners who live in the country of have wekend pursuits as well as the farmer, who needs modern transport.

The Mitsubishi L200 has been around for some time now, although in different guises, for some these vehicles are the ideal solution.

Watch the Mitsubishi L200 review, from Motors dot com talking about the States, of course this is where the big market is and where this car needs to impress.

If you want Mitsubishi L200 Lease

Or you can get Mitsubishi Contract hire

In August, again the three top most requested models for Mitsubishi were

1. the Mitsubishi Shogun 5 Door ,
2. Mitsubishi Carisma 5Dr HatchBack and
3. The Mitsubishi Colt 3Dr HatchBack.

The steadily rising demand for Mitsubishi vehicle parts at leading UK Vehicle Parts Locator has prompted Car Spare Finder to renew its strategy to actively seeking more quality used Mitsubishi UK Vehicle dismantlers.

In August 2009 Car Spare Finder had, as usual,  a highly varied range of Mitisubishi vehicle  part requests, including  for example:

Vehicle: MITSUBISHI SHOGUN 3Dr Estate GLX TD DID 3200cc Diesel Manual (2000-2000)

Part Required: GEARBOX (5SP AUTO) (Automatic Gearbox SWB)

Vehicle: MITSUBISHI CARISMA 5Dr HatchBack CLASSIC DI-D 1870cc Diesel Manual (2003-)

Part Required: AIRCON PUMP

Vehicle: MITSUBISHI PAJERO 5Dr Estate (SHOGUN) EXCEED TD 2477cc Diesel Auto (1990-1995)

Part Required: ENGINE COMPLETE (Diesel)

Vehicle: MITSUBISHI GALANT 4Dr Saloon GLS I AUTO 1997cc Petrol Auto (1993-1997)

Part Required: GEARBOX (4SP AUTO)

Demand is spread evenly across the board in terms of Mitsubishi models, vehicle ages, model ranges and parts.  It is noticeable that there is strong demand for older Mitsubishi parts, which are increasingly harder to come by. It is common to get get daily remand for ECUs (engine management systems),  engines, gearboxes, cylinder heads, Injector pump, Aircon Pump, and many substantial Mitsubishi vehcile parts.

Another thing worthy of mention,  in the month of August – usually quite quiet in terms of demand for Mitsubishi car and van parts,  is a contined demand for the Mitsubishi Canter pick up. As you probably know, the Mitsubishi Canters are available in three basic chassis sizes ranging up to the 7.5-tonne.  In August Car Spare Finder has seen steady demand for the Mitisubishi Canter 35 Diesel Engines available via its website specifically designed for Mitsubishi vehicle parts consumers looking for Mitsubishi Canter-35 van parts.